Friday

On Saturday, we made our way to the trainstop town of Minturn for the farmer's market. As popular as these markets have become in recent years, it took us some time to find parking. Fortunately, our spots were close to the Minturn volunteer fire department, where vehicles were being spit-and-polished for the afternoon's parade.

As we were among the first to visit, Q was the proud recipient of a shiny red fire hat...

...and a "ride" in the station's most prized vintage vehicle.

The heatwave blanketing Colorado did not skip over the valley, and we took many breaks in the shade of market umbrellas to sip mango smoothies and let the dogs cool their heels.

Along the way, we were happy to run into friends Christie and Lina ( who is also from China, though from a different region than Q). Aside from being adoption-community friends, Christie's family adopted from us a tiny Brussels Griffon puppy named Sloan that I had rescued one frigid winter day when she was dumped from a car on my running route around Sloan's Lake. (Who abandons a tiny, purebread puppy in the snow and a January morning? It boggles the mind.) It took some work to catch her, but she was so sweet and tiny that I knew I had to find the right home for her. Though I still miss her little face, I'm so glad that she found the perfect home with Christie, Lina and the family.

Q enjoying the pleasures of the cooling evening in Arrowhead after a brisk swim.